MEMORIALS 


OteL  StdjarJi  ©turn 

THE  GOOD  SAMARITAN  OF 
CAMP  MORTON 


Bum  iatiia 

-  THE  BOY  HERO  OF  TENNESSEE 


THE  CONFEDERATE  VETERAN 
NASHVILLE.  TENN. 


Digitized  by 

the  Internet  Archive 

in  2013 

http://archive.org/details/memorialscolrichOOnash 


AN  EXPLANATION. 


This  memorial  booklet  was  in  course  of  preparation  by  Mr. 
Cunningham  when  he  was  stricken  with  fatal  illness.  With- 
out knowing  his  plans  fully,  it  has  been  completed  as  nearly 
as  possible  as  he  would  have  made  it.  The  list  of  Confederate 
dead  in  Indiana  which  was  to  have  been  included  was  pub- 
lished in  the  Veteran  for  January  and  February  by  his  plan, 
and  part  of  the  type  had  been  distributed  before  it  was  known 
that  it  should  have  been  held  for  the  booklet.  However, 
those  copies  of  the  Veteran  can  be  furnished  any  who  desire 
that  list. 

The  Richard  Owen  Memorial  was  considered  by  Mr.  Cun- 
ningham as  the  crowning  act  of  his  life,  and  his  joy  in  its 
completion  is  realized  when  reading  the  account  given  by  him 
of  the  dedication. 


Vice  President  Marshall's  speech  of  acceptance  was  most 
happily  expressed,  and  it  was  a  great  disappointment  that  no 
copy  of  it  could  be  procured  for  publication.  He  spoke  ex- 
temporaneously, and  the  speech  was  not  reported  for  the 
press ;  hence  it  could  not  be  included  with  the  Veteran's  ac- 
count of  the  dedicatory  exercises.  The  ceremonial  day  had 
been  fixed  for  June  9th  in  order  that  Mr.  Marshall  might 
participate,  as  it  was  under  his  administration  that  the  memo- 
rial had  been  inaugurated,  and  Mr.  Marshall  had  shown  his 
hearty  sympathy  with  the  movement. 


MEMORIAL  TO  COL.  RICHARD  OWEN  IN  THE  STATE  CAPITOL 
AT  INDIANAPOLIS,  IND. 


THE  RICHARD  OWEN  MEMORIAL. 


The  Richard  Owen  Memorial  is  in  place  and  is  as  well 
done  as  the  promoter  could  wish.  He  believes  it  is  the 
crowning  act  of  his  life.  It  was  built  with  the  greatest  pos- 
sible economy,  but  unstintedly  as  regards  quality  of  material 
and  skill  of  the  superior  artist.  The  Veteran  designates  it 
as  a  memorial  because  it  is  a  sacred  tribute  to  an  eminently 
good  man,  a  man  who  had  ^he  courage  to  do  right  whatever 
might  be  the  cost  to  him  in  rank  or  reputation. 

The  resolution  submitted  to  both  houses  of  the  Indiana 
Legislature  in  191 1  indicates  the  modest  aspirations  in  the 
outset  —  viz.,  to  place  a  memorial  tablet  so  that  the  people 
of  Indiana,  the  nation,  or  any  country  in  the  world  whose 
people  may  visit  the  Capitol  of  Indiana,  people  who  have 
erected  the  grandest  monument  to  its  soldiers  in  all  the  wars 
in  its  history,  will  learn  a  lesson  not  merely  of  the  kindness  of 
Colonel  Owen,  but  of  the  appreciation  of  Southern  men  and 
women  after  fifty  years.  The  resolution  referred  to,  sub- 
mitted by  Hon.  W.  W.  Spencer,  is  as  follows : 

"House  Concurrent  Resolution  No.  12: 

"Be  it  resolved  by  the  House  of  Representatives,  the  Senate 
concurring  therein,  that  the  Governor  of  this  State  be  author- 
ized to  permit  the  surviving  Confederate  prisoners  who  were 
confined  in  Camp  Morton  during  the  War  of  the  States  to 
erect  a  tablet  to  the  memory  of  Col.  Richard  Owen  for  his 
kindness  shown  such  Confederate  prisoners ;  and  that  the 
Governor  be  authorized  to  designate  the  spot  where  said 
tablet  shall  be  placed,  either  in  the  Statehouse,  on  the 
grounds  of  the  Statehouse,  or  the  soldiers'  monument  in  the 
city  of  Indianapolis." 

The  resolution  was  unanimously  passed,  and  the  clerk  was 
directed  to  inform  the  Senate  of  its  passage. 

The  petition,  it  will  be  seen,  does  not  mention  any  name. 
Confederate  prisoners  and  their  friends  have  the  distinction, 
though  the  Editor  of  the  Veteran  conceived  the  idea  and 
bore  the  burden  of  responsibility.    It  is  to  honor  all  alike. 

[  3  ] 


REASON  FOR  THE  RICHARD  OWEN  MEMORIAL. 

[Introductory  to  the  proceedings  Governor  Ralston  pre- 
sented Dr.  H.  M.  Hamill,  of  Nashville,  Chaplain  General 
Army  of  Tennessee  Department,  who  read  an  explanatory 
statement,  submitted  by  S.  A.  Cunningham,  the  author,  and 
the  consideration  that  suggested  it.] 

As  one  of  least  significance  among  more  than  four  thousand 
prisoners  of  war  confined  in  Camp  Morton  fifty-one  years  ago, 
it  has  been  my  good  fortune  to  have  erected  here  in  your 
State  Capitol  a  memorial  to  one  of  your  best  men.  I 
have  done  it  through  the  aid  of  fellow  prisoners,  other  com- 
rades, and  our  friends.  My  conviction  is  that,  in  so  far 
as  undying  souls  take  cognizance  of  what  is  done  after  their 
careers  have  been  ended,  more  than  four  thousand  are  glad 
with  me,  and  that  in  the  greatest  reunion  ever  to  occur  there 
will  be  greeting  to  me  for  this  deed.  Anticipating  that  joy,  I 
requested  of  your  Governor,  Samuel  M.  Ralston,  the  privilege 
of  a  back  seat  in  this  ceremony.  However,  some  one  knowing 
the  reason  for  this  event  should  explain  it,  as  a  large  majority 
of  those  present  were  not  born  at  that  time ;  so  I  submit  this 
brief  account. 

In  the  South's  disaster  at  Fort  Donelson,  Tenn.,  on  Feb- 
ruary 16,  1862,  about  eight  thousand  prisoners  were  taken, 
and  half  of  us  were  brought  here.  Preparations  had  not 
been  made,  and  we  were  subjected  to  much  suffering  from  cold 
and  hunger — cold  throughout  that  bitter  winter  and  hunger 
for  about  two  weeks.  The  prisoners  were  angry  with  each 
other,  and  the  entire  day's  rations  were  eaten  immediately. 
When  the  supply  was  sufficiently  large  to  divide  the  day's 
food,  each  prisoner  would  carry  his  haversack  wherever  he 
went,  not  trusting  his  bunk  mates  with  it.  While  these  deplor- 
able conditions  prevailed,  the  prison  commandant,  Colonel 
Owen,  was  busy  all  day  and  much  of  the  night  in  doing  all  he 
could  to  ameliorate  conditions.  This  fact  soon  became  so  ap- 
parent that  the  prisoners  discussed  him  in  regard  to  it;  and 
throughout  the  intervening  half  century  the  only  complaint  I 
ever  heard  was  made  by  a  man  who  had  escaped  from  Camp 
Morton  and,  being  recaptured  hundreds  of  miles  away,  was 
handcuffed  by  his  captor,  and  blamed  Colonel  Owen  for  it. 

[  4  ] 


MRS.  NORA  OWEN  ARMSTRONG,  OF  MEMPHIS,  TENN.,  WHO 
UNVEILED  THE  MEMORIAL,  IS  A  GRANDDAUGHTER  OF  COL. 
RICHARD  OWEN  AND  DAUGHTER  OF  THE  LATE  HORACE  P. 
OWEN,  OF  NEW  HARMONY,  IND. 


Colonel  Owen  was  criticized  by  an  Indianapolis  paper  for 
"showing  too  much  consideration  for  the  prisoners,"  and  we 
believed  his  transfer  was  because  of  that.  His  defense  is 
given,  happily,  in  full  in  the  war  records ;  and  it  demonstrates 
that  lie  firmly  believed  that  the  Union  would  be  restored,  that 
his  treatment  of  the  Southerners  under  his  charge  would  tend 
to  speed  the  day.  and  that  a  '"more  perfect  Union"  would  re- 
sult. He  was  as  patriotic  in  this  as  when  rushing  to  the 
charge  in  battle. 

During  Colonel  Owen's  active  field  service  he  was  conspic- 
uous for  his  ability  and  his  courage.  He  confronted  Gen.  R. 
E.  Lee  at  Cheat  Mountain,  Va. ;  he  rendered  important  serv- 
ice at  Arkansas  Pass,  where  the  Federal  victory  was  com- 


COL.  RICHARD  DALE  OWEN. 
I  B  ] 


plete;  and  in  the  Kentucky  campaigning  the  army  commander 
showed  extraordinary  regard  for  the  skill  with  which  he  car- 
ried forward  expeditions,  much  of  the  time  in  command  of  a 
brigade.  It  is  a  pleasing  memory  that  when  he  was  captured 
at  Munfordville,  Ky.,  the  Confederate  general  in  command 
rode  up  to  him  on  the  field  of  surrender  and  said:  "Colonel 
Owen,  in  consideration  of  your  kindness  to  prisoners  at  Camp 
Morton,  you  are  free  to  go  at  will." 

If  there  is  a  Providence  that  directs  our  deeds,  I  express 
humble  gratitude  for  seeing  the  name  "Ernest  Dale  Owen" 
on  a  law  card  on  one  of  the  great  buildings  in  Chicago  some 
years  ago.  Instantly  I  entered  the  building,  took  an  elevator, 
and  called.  The  gentleman,  in  response  to  my  story  that  I 
was  a  prisoner  in  Camp  Morton  in  1862  and  called  hoping  I 
could  learn  something  of  Colonel  Owen,  who  was  in  command 
there,  showed  me  the  most  cordial  consideration;  and  I  was 
gratified  to  learn  that,  though  the  Colonel  was  dead,  he  had  a 
son,  Mr.  Horace  P.  Owen  (who  served  on  his  father's  staff), 
a  resident  of  New  Harmony,  Ind.  Correspondence  with  Mr. 
Horace  Owen  has  been  delightful ;  and  I  learned  the  amazing 
fact  that  just  before  the  beginning  of  hostilities  his  father, 
who  was  Prof.  Richard  Owen,  was  associated  with  Bushrod 
R.  Johnson  (afterwards  a  major  general  in  the  Confederate 
army)  in  conducting  educational  work  in  Nashville,  Tenn. 

So  nearly  all  of  the  Camp  Morton  prisoners  are  dead  that 
I  had  an  ambition  personally  to  pay  tribute  to  Colonel  Owen. 
(Your  invitations  to  this  ceremony  mention  him  as  Richard 
Dale  Owen.  The  middle  name  is  omitted  from  the  tablet 
purposely,  for  in  the  "War  Records"  his  name  is  given  of- 
ficially as  Richard  Owen.) 

More  than  two  years  ago  I  called  upon  your  Governor, 
Thomas  R.  Marshall,  now  our  Vice  President  of  the  United 
States,  and  more  recently  upon  your  Governor,  Samuel  M. 
Ralston ;  and  to  them,  with  many  citizens,  including  veterans, 
I  express  unfeigned  gratitude  for  their  cordial  and  zealous  co- 
operation in  all  arrangements  for  this  event,  and  I  especially 
mention  Hon.  W.  W.  Spencer,  who  prepared  and  submitted  the 
first  resolution  to  your  State  Legislature. 

[  7  ] 


VICE  PRESIDENT  THOMAS  R.  MARSHALL,  UNDER  WHOSE  AD- 
MINISTRATION AS  GOVERNOR  OF  INDIANA  THE  OWEN 
MEMORIAL  WAS  INAUGURATED. 


While  at  the  outset  my  ambition  was  to  place  simply  a 
bronze  tablet  in  your  beautiful  Capitol,  the  encouragement  from 
the  Southern  people  and  the  inspiration  of  a  gifted  Southern 
woman,  Miss  Belle  Kinney,  the  daughter  of  a  Confederate 
soldier,  made  this  memorial  of  esteem  and  gratitude  such  that 
I  fear  no  criticism  from  future  generations. 

Gratitude  to  the  memory  of  Colonel  Owen  is  the  stronger 
because  he  was  succeeded  by  a  very  different  kind  of  man, 
whom  we  designated  as  a  "renegade  Kentuckian." 

Contributions  to  this  memorial  are  the  more  appreciated 


GOV.  S.  M.  RALSTON,  OF  INDIANA. 
I*  [  9  ] 


because  they  have  come  unsolicited ;  and  whatever  may  be  the 
personal  sacrifice  in  money,  it  is  given  without  stint,  as  it  is 
the  most  satisfactory  undertaking  of  a  lifetime,  and  I  have 
learned  a  new  lesson  by  associating  with  Indiana  Hoosiers. 

Gov.  S.  M.  Ralston  Presided. 

Gov.  Samuel  M.  Ralston,  who  succeeded  Governor  (now 
Vice  President)  Marshall,  entered  most  cordially  and  heartily 
into  the  dedicatory  service  and  presided  at  the  ceremony, 
making  the  following  brief  address  : 

"We  are  here  to-day  to  pay  tribute  to  the  merits  of  a 
brave  and  generous  man  and  to  advance  the  cause  of  peace. 
Teace  on  earth,  good  will  toward  men'  is  an  American 
motto,  and  we  are  ready  to  hail  as  a  brother  every  man  who 
is  helping  to  make  that  motto  dominant  in  the  lives  of  men 
and  of  nations.  It  is  a  great  thing  to  be  brave  physically; 
but  fortunately  for  society  and  the  building  of  nations,  neither 
war  nor  the  war  spirit  is  essential  to  the  development  of  high 
moral  qualities. 

"Col.  Richard  Owen  was  physically  courageous,  but  it  is 
impossible  to  imagine  a  display  of  physical  courage  on  his 
part  that  would  have  suggested  this  event  in  commemoration 
of  his  life.  It  has  its  source  in  virtues  possessed  by  him 
far  superior  to  anything  of  a  transitory  character.  In  the 
early  part  of  1862,  while  serving  his  country  as  colonel  of 
the  60th  Indiana  Regiment,  he  had  the  power  of  the  sword 
over  the  Confederate  soldiers  committed  to  his  keeping  in 
Camp  Morton.  Upon  the  surrender  of  Fort  Donelson,  in 
February  of  that  year,  four  thousand  Confederates  became 
his  prisoners.  They  were  half  starved,  half  clothed,  and  half 
frozen  when  they  came  to  him.  Human  endurance  was 
nearing  its  limits  with  them.  The  demands  of  nature  made 
them  restless,  but  as  speedily  as  possible  Colonel  Owen  pro- 
vided them  with  whatever  relief  he  could  command. 

"Colonel  Owen  was  a  humane  man.  He  regarded  himself 
as  his  brother's  keeper.  The  elements  of  nobility  were  so 
mingled  in  his  nature  that,  though  he  was  vested  with  abso- 
lute authority,  he  preferred  the  power  of  the  heart  to  the 
power  of  the  sword  over  those  under  him.    He  commanded 

[  10  ] 


through  love.  This  gave  him  a  place  in  the  affections  of  the 
boys  who  wore  the  gray  as  enduring  as  life.  Out  of  their 
love  and  the  love  of  their  loved  ones  sprang  a  desire  to  ex- 
press in  some  material  form  their  appreciation  of  his  kind- 
ness to  fallen  foes.  In  carrying  out  this  desire  we  have  the 
heart  offerings  of  Confederate  soldiers  represented  by  the 
magnificent  piece  of  art  we  have  assembled  to  unveil.  We 
should  never  look  upon  it  without  recalling  the  noble  qual- 
ities of  heart  and  soul  of  S.  A.  Cunningham,  who  took  the 
initiative  in  this  memorial  and  consummated  the  same  with 
much  cost  to  himself  in  time,  labor,  and  money.  Nor  should 
we  contemplate  this  work  without  a  feeling  of  appreciation 
of  the  genius  of  Miss  Belle  Kinney,  the  brilliant  young  sculp- 
tress who  wrought  it.  She  has  made  it  reflect  in  a  high  de- 
gree both  thought  and  feeling.  And  what  a  splendid  tribute 
it  is  to  peace — to  peace  that  is  truly  national  in  its  influence ! 
How  creditable  it  is  alike  to  both  giver  and  receiver,  now  one 
and  inseparable  under  'Old  Glory' ! 

"My  friends,  I  have  requested  Judge  Comstock,  Commander 
in  Chief  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  in  Indiana,  to 
present  to  you  Gen.  Bennett  H.  Young,  Commander  in  Chief 
of  the  United  Confederate  Veterans.  It  occurred  to  me  that 
it  would  be  appropriate  indeed  to  have  these  two  distin- 
guished citizens  in  their  representative  capacities  occupy  seats 
side  by  side  on  this  platform,  and  the  one  to  present  the 
other  to  you.  They  have  both  served  their  country  well 
in  different  positions,  but  I  doubt  if  either  was  ever  afforded 
a  more  agreeable  opportunity  than  this  to  plead  for  a  broader 
patriotism." 

Judge  Comstock  made  a  most  appropriate  and  pleasing- 
address,  but  it  was  not  in  manuscript  and  could  not  be  se- 
cured for  publication. 

Gen.  Bennett  IT.  Young's  Presentation  Speech. 

I  find  in  no  history  a  counterpart  of  the  exercises  which 
have  brought  this  audience  together.  It  is  possible  only  in 
a  republic  where  the  intelligence  and  patriotism  of  its  people 
have  reached  the  highest  standard.    The  former  enemies  of 

[  11  ] 


a  brave  and  gallant  soldier  have  come  to  build  a  monument 
to  one  who  was  their  foe  on  the  battle  field.  They  have  come 
to  point  to  Richard  Owen  as  one  of  the  great  men,  a  man 
whose  name  sheds  renown  upon  the  State  of  Indiana. 

S.  A.  Cunningham  was  surrendered  at  Fort  Donelson  in 
the  early  part  of  1862,  and  was  brought  as  a  prisoner  of  war 
to  Camp  Morton.  Remembering  with  gratitude  the  courtesy 
and  kindness  of  this  brave  and  honorable  man,  Mr.  Cunning- 
ham, determining  to  show  appreciation  for  himself  and  his 
fellow  prisoners,  most  of  whom  are  dead,  undertook  among 
the  men  and  women  of  the  South  to  raise  sufficient  funds  to 
secure  and  erect  this  statue.  Other  monuments  have  been 
erected  to  the  soldiers  of  Indiana,  but  none  has  such  a  de- 
lightful flavor  of  gratitude  and  love  as  this  memorial  which 
the  men  and  women  of  the  South  turn  over  now  to  the  State 
of  Indiana  for  perpetual  preservation. 

As  the  representative  of  the  South  I  may  be  permitted  to 
say  in  perfect  frankness  and  candor  some  things  on  this 
occasion.  This  act  must  not  be  interpreted  in  any  way  as 
recognizing  that  the  people  of  the  South  condone  or  approve 
of  the  treatment  meted  out  to  Confederate  prisoners  held  at 
the  various  military  prisons  of  the  United  States  during  the 
war.  There  are  many  sad  things  connected  with  the  war 
that  it  is  wise  and  patriotic  to  forget;  nor  shall  I  ignore 
proprieties  on  this  occasion  or  utter  a  single  word  to  arouse 
the  least  animosity  which  time  has  effectively  softened.  The 
charge  that  the  South  intentionally  inflicted  wrongs  upon  any 
Federal  prisoner  held  in  a  Confederate  prison  was  a  most 
cruel  and  groundless  slander.  Malignant  and  bloodthirsty 
politicians,  in  order  to  inflame  the  passions  and  quicken  the 
hatred  of  people  of  the  North,  undertook  by  misrepresentation 
to  lead  the  people  of  the  United  States  to  believe  that  in  the 
treatment  of  prisoners  of  war  the  Southern  authorities  delib- 
erately inflicted  cruelties  upon  the  helpless  men  who  were 
held  at  Andersonville,  Raleigh,  Florence,  and  Richmond. 
There  was  a  time  when  the  South  was  powerless  to  meet  this 
cruel  charge;  but  that  time  has  long  since  passed,  and  history 
impartially,  just  and  relentless  for  truth,  has  exonerated  our 
people  from  this  cruel  and  baseless  charge. 

[  13  ] 


The  history  of  the  exchange  of  prisoners  held  on  both  sides 
shows  that  if  the  policy  and  wish,  not  only  of  Jefferson  Davis, 
Alexander  Stephens,  and  Robert  E.  Lee,  but  of  the  Confederate 
Commissioner  of  Exchange,  had  been  followed,  no  word  of 
complaint  could  have  arisen.  In  dealing  with  the  questions 
that  arose  in  connection  with  the  war  we  must  put  ourselves 
in  the  same  condition  and  bring  about  the  same  surroundings 
that  affected  the  people  of  that  day.  We  cannot  take  the 
men  of  1861  to  1865  and  place  them  with  the  men  of  1913. 
All  of  the  unhappy  things  of  the  war  ought  to  be  forgotten 
and  will  be  forgotten,  but  there  was  never  anything  that  cut 
so  deeply  the  men  and  women  of  the  South  or  that  they 
resented  more  fiercely  than  this  charge  of  systematic  cruelty 
toward  the  prisoners  of  war.  The  limelight  of  history  has 
swept  aside  all  of  the  cobwebs  that  have  gathered  around  us. 
Gen.  B.  F.  Butler,  who  was  Commissioner  of  Exchange,  ad- 
mitted that  in  dealing  with  the  question  of  exchange  of  pris- 
oners he  intentionally  put  matters  offensively  for  the  purpose 
of  preventing  exchange;  and  so  deep  and  so  strong  was  the 
animosity  of  the  people  of  the  North  against  this  refusal  of 
exchange  that  he  was  compelled  to  justify  himself  with  the 
following  statement : 

"I  have  felt  it  my  duty  to  give  an  account  with  this  partic- 
ular carefulness  of  my  participation  in  the  business  of  the 
exchange  of  prisoners,  of  the  orders  under  which  I  acted,  and 
of  the  negotiations  attempted,  which  comprises  a  faithful  nar- 
ration of  all  that  was  done,  so  that  all  may  become  a  matter 
of  history.  *  *  *  The  anxiety  of  fathers,  brothers,  sisters, 
mothers,  and  wives  to  know  the  exigency  which  caused  this 
terrible  and  perhaps,  as  it  may  have  seemed  to  them,  useless 
and  unnecessary  destruction  of  those  dear  to  them  by  horrible 
deaths,  each  and  all  had  compelled  me  to  this  exposition;  so 
it  may  be  seen  that  those  lives  were  spent  as  a  part  of 
the  system  of  attack  upon  the  rebellion,  devised  by  the  wis- 
dom of  the  General  in  Chief,  U.  S.  Grant,  of  the  armies  to 
destroy  it  by  depletion,  depending  upon  our  superior  numbers 
to  win  the  victory  at  last.  The  loyal  mourners  will  doubtless 
derive  solace  from  this  fact  and  appreciate  all  the  more  highly 

[  14  ] 


GEN.  B.  H.  YOUNG,  COMMANDER  IN  CHIEF  U.  C.  V. 


the  genius  which  conceived  the  plan  and  the  success  won  at 
so  great  a  cost."    *    *  * 

Col.  Richard  Owen,  of  the  6oth  Indiana  Regiment,  was 
assigned  to  the  command  of  Camp  Morton  with  forty-two 
hundred  of  the  prisoners  who  had  surrendered  at  Fort  Don- 
elson  in  1862.  Colonel  Owen  had  himself  known  the  people 
of  the  South,  and  a  short  time  previous  was  a  teacher  in  the 
Nashville  Military  Academy,  associated  with  Gen.  Bushrod 
R.  Johnson,  a  man  of  Northern  birth,  who  afterwards  became 
major  general  of  the  Confederate  army. 

Colonel  Owen  took  a  distinguished  part  in  the  great  war. 
He  was  criticized  for  his  kindness  to  the  prisoners  under  his 
charge  and  was  subsequently  sent  to  the  front.    *    *  * 

Prominent  women  of  Indiana  have  erected  a  monument  in 
this  city  to  Robert  Dale  Owen,  who  was  so  zealous  in  pro- 
curing a  change  in  the  Indiana  laws  whereby  women  could  own 
and  control  their  own  property.  That  Indiana  should  have  two 
monuments  to  two  such  brothers  reflects  great  glory  upon  this 
splendid  commonwealth ;  but  it  seems  to  us  that  of  these  two 
monuments,  that  to  be  preferred  is  this  one  erected  by  men 
who  fought  upon  the  side  opposing  Col.  Richard  Owen 
and  who,  after  a  lapse  of  half  a  century,  are  so  mindful  of  his 
great  kindness  to  them  when  helpless  as  prisoners  of  war  as  to 
come  and  ask  the  State  of  Indiana  for  the  privilege  of  building 
a  monument  to  one  who  became  illustrious  in  his  humanity. 

He  was  merciful  where  others  were  merciless;  he  was  hu- 
mane where  others  were  inhuman ;  he  was  gentle  where  oth- 
ers were  malignant.  He  rose  higher  than  the  passions  and 
prejudices  of  the  hour  in  which  he  lived  and  acted.  He  was 
impelled  by  the  highest,  greatest,  noblest  instincts  of  philanthro- 
py in  his  treatment  of  others  who  had  by  the  misfortunes  of 
war  been  placed  in  his  charge.  He  was  so  patriotic  that  early 
during  the  war  he  offered  his  life  to  his  country's  call,  and 
over  and  above  this  superb  patriotism  there  was  the  gentle  im- 
pulse for  his  fellow  men  in  his  great  soul.  He  foresaw  with 
the  instincts  of  a  patriot  that  some  time  or  other  the  war 
would  end,  and  he  realized  that  war  was  nothing  but  organ- 
ized barbarism,  and  his  great  heart  rose  higher  than  the  cur- 
rents of  passion  and  prejudice.   The  truest  elements  of  justice 

[16] 


and  right  caused  him  to  treat  kindly  the  men  whom  he  had 
fought.  He  understood  that,  although  they  differed  with  him 
upon  constitutional  questions,  they  were  entitled  to  that  treat- 
ment which  civilization  accords  to  those  who  bear  the  impress 
of  God. 

Criticized  and  misjudged  because  he  would  not  mistreat  the 
men  who  by  war's  chance  had  been  placed  in  his  charge,  he 
accepted  the  conditions  with  complacency,  relying  upon  time  to 
vindicate  the  splendor  and  grandeur  of  his  motives.  He  fore- 
saw that  there  must  be  an  end  to  the  war.  In  response  to 
criticism  of  his  conduct  he  said  on  April  18,  1862 :  "As  early  as 
a  year  since  I  already  offered  my  life  to  assist  in  sustaining  the 
government  in  the  struggle  to  maintain  the  supremacy  of  the 
law ;  and  if  no  other  means  were  left,  I  would  now  gladly  sac- 
rifice the  remnant  of  that  life  to  restore  to  our  distracted  coun- 
try such  a  peace  as  would  bring  with  it  the  original  strength 
and  harmony  of  our  glorious  republic.  That  we  must  estab- 
lish and  prove  the  power  and  permanence  of  the  general  gov- 
ernment is  certain;  but  the  sooner  we  can  reconcile  differ- 
ences by  avoiding  ultraism,  the  greater  the  chance  for  our  se- 
curing again  a  powerful  and  united  nation." 

His  great  heart  made  him  kind ;  and  his  great  mind,  looking 
down  the  vista  of  years  to  come,  saw  that  other  conditions 
would  arise  when  it  would  be  possible  for  the  men  of  the 
North  and  the  men  of  the  South  to  be  reconciled  to  each  other. 

I  come  to  say  for  the  men  of  the  South  that,  after  half  a 
century  is  gone,  they  hold  the  kindliest  feeling  toward  this 
brave,  honest,  upright,  noble,  and  humane  gentleman,  and 
that  of  all  the  monuments  that  the  love  of  Southern  men 
and  women  has  erected,  there  is  none  coupled  with  more 
genuine  pleasure  and  good  feeling  than  this  memorial  in  his 
native  State  in  recognition  of  the  philanthropy  and  humanity 
of  Richard  Owen.  The  people  of  the  South  now  turn  over 
to  the  State  of  Indiana  this  magnificent  tribute  to  this  man 
who  came  out  of  the  storm  of  passion  and  prejudice  and  the 
misfortunes  of  war  as  one  of  the  noblest,  the  truest,  and  the 
best  of  men,  and  we  hope  that  this  splendid  memorial  will 
have  its  influence  on  ages  to  come. 
1**  [  17  ] 


HON.  W.  W.  SPENCER,  OF  INDIANA, 

who  introduced  the  resolution  in  the  Indiana  Legislature 
granting  permission  for  the  erection  of  the  Owen  Memorial  in 
the  State  Capitol  at  Indianapolis.  Mr.  Spencer  was  helpful 
not  only  in  the  beginning,  but  on  to  the  end.  He  is  a  graduate 
of  Indiana  University,  was  taught  by  Professor  (Colonel) 
Owen,  and  is  grateful  personally  for  the  tribute. 

[  18  ] 


Appreciation  of  Colonel  Owen's  Family. 

This  letter,  from  the  son  of  Colonel  Owen,  at  New  Har- 
mony, Ind.,  is  gratifying  in  its  expressions  of  appreciation  : 

"Since  my  return  I  have  been  extremely  busy,  but  felt  all 
the  while  that  I  should  write  you  expressing  my  supreme  grati- 
fication over  the  unveiling  exercises  at  Indianapolis  on  the  9th 
inst.  The  program  was  beautifully  arranged  and  was  most 
appropriate  in  its  every  feature.  It  was  the  most  gratifying 
occasion  of  my  life  and  thrilled  me  with  a  sensation  never 
before  experienced. 

"I  desire  now,  as  the  only  surviving  direct  representative 
of  my  father,  to  express  my  profound  appreciation  and  un- 
dying gratitude  to  the  people  of  the  Southland  through  the 
medium  of  that  noble-hearted,  unselfish,  and  patriotic  South- 
ern gentleman,  Mr.  S.  A.  Cunningham,  for  this  magnificent 
and  imperishable  tribute  to  my  father's  memory,  which,  so 
far  as  I  have  been  able  to  ascertain,  is  without  a  parallel  in 
the  annals  of  war. 

"I  trust  that  the  realization  of  your  long-cherished  dream 
may  prove  to  be  the  crowning  triumph  of  your  life's  work, 
as  the  world  must  receive  and  acknowledge  it  an  event  unique 
in  history,  actuated  by  the  finest  motives  that  ever  influenced 
the  heart  of  man.  Assuring  you  of  my  deep  and  lasting 
friendship,  I  remain 

"Sincerely  and  faithfully  yours,  Horace  P.  Owen." 

[19] 


CONTRIBUTORS  TO  RICHARD  OWEN  MEMORIAL. 


A  Friend,  Nashville,  Tenn  $  i  oo 

A  Friend,  West  Virginia   5  oo 

A  Southern  Woman   i  oo 

Abernathy,  Ed,  Pulaski,  Tenn   50 

Addison  Harvey  Chapter,  U.  D.  C,  Canton,  Miss...  5  00 

Alderson,  J.  C,  Charleston,  W.  Va   1  00 

Alexander,  S.  J.,  Macon,  Tenn   1  00 

Allen,  P.  E.,  Grand  Cane,  La   5  00 

Anderson,  John,  Enfield,  N.  C   4  00 

Anderson,  S.  B.,  Mineola,  Tex   1  00 

Anderson,  W.  A.,  Holly  Springs,  Miss   1  00 

Armstrong,  J.  E.,  Waterloo,  Va   1  00 

Armstrong,  Mrs.  Nora  Owen,  Memphis,  Tenn   25  00 

Arnold,  J.  M.,  Covington,  Ky   1  00 

Arrowsmith,  F.,   Pulaski,  Tenn   1  00 

Asbury,  Col.  A.  E.,  Higginsville,  Mo   20  00 

Bachman,  N.  D.,  Bristol,  Va.-Tenn   2  00 

Bailey,  Prof.  J.  E.,  Nashville,  Tenn   1  00 

Barron,  S.  B.,  Rusk,  Tex   1  00 

Bean,  William  H.,  Howe,  Tex   5  00 

Beard,  M.  A.,  Waxahachie,  Tex   3  00 

Beeson,  R.  M.,  Savannah,  Mo   1  00 

Behan,  W.  J.,  New  Orleans,  La   5  00 

Bell,  G.  W.  R.,  Gaylesville,  Ala   1  00 

Bemiss,  W.  H.,  Shelbyville,  Ky   1  00 

Bennett,  Louis,  Weston,  W.  Va   5  00 

Benson,  B.,  Augusta,  Ga   2  00 

Bevens,  Dr.  W.  E.,  Newport,  Ark   1  00 

Bishop,  A.  J.,  Cafe,  Ark   1  00 

Bishop,  C.  M.,  Shanghai,  W.  Va   1  00 

Boger,  A.  T.,  Vernon,  Tex   1  00 

[21] 


Boggs,  Rev.  S.  D.,  Danville,  Ky  $  i  oo 

Bowie-Pelham  Camp,  U.  C.  V.,  Bowie,  Tex   5  00 

Bradley,  J.  P.,  Linneus,  Mo   1  00 

Bradstreet,  J.  R.,  Vernon,  Tex   50 

Brooke,  St.  George  T.,  Charlestown,  W.  Va   1  00 

Brosnahan,  G.  O.,  Pensacola,  Fla   1  00 

Brown,  B.  R.,  Shouns,  Tenn   1  00 

Brownson,  Mrs.  J.  M.,  Victoria,  Tex   1  00 

Brusle,  C.  A.,  Plaquemine,  La   1  00 

Bryant,  D.  H.,  Orlando,  Fla   1  00 

Bulow,  T.  L.,  Ridgeway,  S.  C   1  00 

Burch,  C.  M.,  Fancy  Farm,  Ky   1  00 

Byars,  H.  C,  Sidney,  la   1  00 

Byrns,  G.  S.,  Lexington,  Ky   1  00 

Cameron,  B.,  Raleigh,  N.  C   5  00 

Campbell,  J.  M.,  Martinsburg,  W.  Va   1  00 

Cannon,  J.  P.,  McKenzie,  Tenn   1  00 

Carnell,  R.  C,  Waverly,  Tenn   1  00 

Carnes,  W.  W.,  Memphis,  Tenn   1  00 

Carr,  Gen.  J.  S.,  Durham,  N.  C   10  00 

Carr,  L.,  Charleston,  W.  Va   2  00 

Cates,  Mrs.  J.  W.,  Marysville,  Tenn   1  00 

Chachere,  J.  O.,  Opelousas,  La   1  00 

Chachere,  Dr.  Theogene,  Opelousas,  La   1  00 

Chambers,  Mrs.  H.  A.,  Chattanooga,  Tenn   1  00 

Cheek,  C.  T.,  Nashville,  Tenn   5  00 

Chiles,  T.  C,  Greenwood,  S.  C   1  00 

Clapp,  J.  W.,  Memphis,  Tenn   5  00 

Clark,  A.  K.,  Augusta,  Ga   1  00 

Clarkson,  R.  A.,  Fort  Smith,  Ark   1  00 

Clegg,  H.  C,  Moncure,  N.  C   50 

Cobb,  Thomas  M.,  Lexington,  Mo   1  00 

Cochran,  W.  M.,  Forney,  Tex   1  00 

Cockrill,  Capt.  M.  S.,  Nashville   5  00 

Coleman,  Col.  C,  Lexington,  Ky   1  00 

Colvin,  R.  M.,  Harrisonburg,  Va   3  00 

Combs,  J.  H.,  San  Marcos,  Tex   1  00 

Confederate  Veterans'  Association,  Camp  756,  U.  C. 

V.,  Savannah,  Ga   10  00 

[  22  ] 


Cook,  Col.  V.  Y.,  Batesville,  Ark  $  no  oo 

Copy  of  Veteran  sold  by  Mrs.  Behan,  New  Orleans, 

La   50 

Corser,  E.  S.,  Minneapolis,  Minn   5  00 

Coursen,  W.  A.,  Marietta,  Ga   1  00 

Crain,  J.  H.,  Lawrenceburg,  Ky   2  50 

Crane,  H.  A.,  Savannah,  Ga   2  00 

Crawford,  J.  T.,  Pampa,  Tex   1  00 

Creager,  J.  A.,  Vernon,  Tex   50 

Croft,  Mrs.  E.  A.,  Aiken,  S.  C   1  00 

Cromwell,  T.  W.,  Cynthiana,  Ky   50 

Croom,  Dr.  J.  D.,  Sr.,  Maxton,  N.  C   1  00 

Crouch,  R.  C,  Morristown,  Tenn   1  00 

Crutcher,  T.  E.,  Saco,  Mont   2  00 

Currie,  A.,  Shreveport,  La   5  00 

Danley,  Maj.  W.  L.,  Nashville,  Tenn   10  00 

Darling,  P.  B.,  Columbus,  Ohio   1  00 

Daugherty,  J.  R.,  St.  Louis,  Mo   5  00 

Davidson,  H.  C,  Montgomery,  Ala   1  00 

Davidson,  W.  S.,  Beaumont,  Tex   5  00 

Davis,  B.  B.,  Bucatunna,  Miss   1  00 

Davis,  J.  P.,  Bucatunna,  Miss   1  00 

Davis,  Winnie,  Chapter,  U.  D.  C,  Moorefield,  W.  Va.  10  00 

Dawson,  G.  W.,  Kansas  City,  Mo   2  00 

DeMondel,  Ed,  Hondo,  Tex   1  00 

Des  Portes,  J.  A.,  Ridgeway,  S.  C   1  00 

Devenport,  J.  J.,  Devenport,  Ala   5  00 

DeYoung,  R.  M.,  Chase,  Ala   1  00 

Dickey,  T.  M.,  Blanket,  Tex   1  00 

Dickinson,  Hon.  J.  M.,  Nashville   5  00 

Diggs,  R.  P.,  Nashville   50 

DuBuisson,  C.  J.,  Yazoo  City,  Miss   1  00 

Ducloux,  Charles,  Knoxville,  Tenn   1  00 

Dudley,  Maj.  R.  H.,  Nashville,  Tenn   1  00 

Dwight,  Dr.  R.  Y.,  Pinopolis,  S.  C   50 

Edge,  W.  J.,  Round  Mountain,  Ala   5  00 

Edmonds,  J.  S.,  Ridgeway,  S.  C   50 

Edmondson,  Y.  C,  Waxahachie,  Tex   1  00 

Ellis,  J.  C,  Bucatunna,  Miss                               ..  50 

[  23  ] 


Erwin,  J.  R.,  Fulton.  Mo  $  i  oo 

Evans,  A.  F.,  Huntsville,  Ala   i  oo 

Faison,  W.  W.,  Goldsboro,  N.  C   i  oo 

Faulkner,  E.  C,  Montgomery,  Ky   i  oo 

Fay,  J.  B.,  Dunn  Loring,  Va   I  oo 

Fenno,  Mrs.  Grafton,  West  Lynn,  Mass   65 

Ferrell,  W.  S.,  Vernon,  Tex   1  00 

Fitzhugh,  O.  S.,  Fletcher,  W.  Va   1  00 

Fletcher,  Dr.  Frank,  Jenkins  Bridge,  Va   1  00 

Flynn,  W.  M.,  South  Boston,  Mass   1  00 

Fort,  John  P.,  Mt.  Airy,  N.  C   1  00 

Foster,  Maj.  W.  F.}  Nashville,  Tenn   1  00 

Franklin-Buchanan  Camp,  U.  C.  V.,  Baltimore.  Md..  5  00 

Fry,  E.  J.,  Marshall,  Tex   5  00 

Fuller,  Mrs.  F.  A.,  Jacksonville,  Tex   1  00 

Gaillard,  Miss  Ellen  P.,  Pinopolis,  S.  C   1  00 

Gaines,  J.  N.,  Brunswick,  Mo   1  00 

Gardner,  Mrs.  B.  A.,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y   1  00 

Gardner,  G.  N.,  Nashville,  Tenn   1  00 

Gilfoil,  J.  H.,  Omega,  La   2  00 

Gillilan,  C.  W.,  Spring  Creek,  W.  Va   2  50 

Godwin,  James,  Fincastle,  Va   1  00 

Godwin,  Mrs.  E.  D.,  Brentwood,  Tenn   1  00 

Gordon,  R.  H.,  New  York   1  00 

Gorgas,  Col.  W.  C,  Ancon,  Canal  Zone   7  00 

Graham,  W.  M.,  Cedar  Bluff,  Miss   1  00 

Granberry,  J.  A.  H.,  Waverly  Hall,  Ga   1  00 

Graves,  Theo.  H.,  Anderson,  Tex   1  00 

Gribble,  M.  V.,  Temple,  Tex   1  00 

Grimes,  W.  S..  Wapello,  la   5  00 

Haman,  P.  A.,  Learned,  Miss   1  00 

Hammer,  Dr.  M.  R.,  Newton,  la   1  00 

Harbaugh,  T.  C,  Casstown,  Ohio   1  00 

Hardeman,  Isaac,  Macon,  Ga   5  00 

Hardie,  W.  T.,  New  Orleans,  La   5  00 

Hardwick,  C.  H.,  Richmond,  Va   2  50 

Hargis,  J.  R.,  Taylor,  Tex   1  00 

Harris,  C.  S.,  Mebane,  N.  C   1  00 

Harris,  L.  R.,  St.  Louis,  Mo   1  00 

[  24  ] 


Harris,  Miss  E.  S.,  Mebane,  N.  C  $  I  oo 

Hart,  H.  L.,  Troy,  Tenn   I  oo 

Harvey,  George,  Canton,  Miss   5  oo 

Hays,  X.  D.,  Kent's  Store,  La   i  oo 

Heard,  John  T.,  Robinson,  Ga   I  oo 

Hearon,  H.  P.,  Bucatunna,  Miss   I  oo 

Hearon,  Mrs.  H.  P.,  Bucatunna,  Miss   i  oo 

Heartsill,  W.  W.,  Marshall,  Tex   I  oo 

Heath,  B.  D.,  Charlotte,  N.  C   i  oo 

Hemming,  C.  C,  Colorado  Springs,  Colo   I  oo 

Hentz,  William,  Hosford,  Fla   I  oo 

Herbert,  Dr.  R.  N.,  Aspen  Hill,  Tenn   i  oo 

Herbert,  Hon.  H.  A.,  Washington,  D.  C   5  oo 

Herring,  C.  H.,  Columbus,  Ga   5  00 

Hewes,  F.  S.,  Gulfport,  Miss   2  00 

Hill,  A.  B.,  Memphis,  Tenn   2  00 

Hill,  W.  B.,  Petersburg,  W.  Va   1  00 

Hindman,  T.  C,  Chapter,  U.  D.  C,  Lonoke,  Ark....  1  00 

Hinson,  Dr.  W.  E.,  Charleston,  S.  C   2  00 

Holliday,  J.  D.,  Indianapolis,  Ind   2  00 

Hopkins,  M.  A.,  Sheffield,  Ala   1  00 

Hough,  E.  S.,  Manchester,  Tenn   2  50 

Howcott,  W.  H.,  New  Orleans,  La   35  00 

Howe,  Robert,  Orlando,  Fla   1  00 

Howell,  F.  A.,  Durant,  Miss   1  00 

Humphrey,  W.  P.,  Gretna,  La   1  00 

Irwin,  Capt.  J.  W.,  Savannah,  Tenn   1  00 

Jennings,  R.  H.,  Columbia,  S.  C   1  00 

Jett,  W.  A.  L.,  Murray  Hill,  N.  J   1  00 

Jewell,  Gen.  W.  H..  Orlando,  Fla   1  00 

Johnson,  J.  T.,  Nowata,  Okla   1  00 

Johnson,  Mrs.  Allen,  Stilwell,  Okla   50 

Johnson,  M.  L.,  Melrose,  N.  Mex   2  00 

Johnson,  W.  J.,  Ridgeway,  S.  C   1  00 

Johnston,  Miss  Mary,  Richmond,  Va   5  00 

Jones,  George  M.,  Springfield,  Mo   1  00 

Jones,  M.  B.,  Brunswick.  Tenn   1  00 

Jones,  Russell,  Brunswick,  Tenn   1  00 

Jordan,  J.  W.,  Carrollton.  Va   2  00 

[  25  ] 


Joyner,  K.  N.,  Lenoir,  N.  C  $  i  oo 

Kern,  Mrs.  J.  W.,  Kansas  City,  Mo   2  oo 

Kimberly,  Miss  Mary,  Asheville,  N.  C   1  00 

Knox,  R.  M,  Pine  Bluff,  Ark   10  00 

Kreig,  Christian,  Nashville,  Tenn   1  00 

Latimore,  J.  M.,  Roxton,  Tex   1  00 

Laverty,  J.  E.,  Carlsbad,  N.  Mex   1  00 

Lee,  B.  C,  Coushatta,  La   1  00 

Lee,  C.  H.,  Jr.,  Falmouth,  Ky   4  00 

Lee,  I.  S.,  Mayersville,  Miss   2  00 

Lee,  W.  F.,  Piedmont,  S.  C   1  00 

Lee-Jackson  Camp,  U.  C.  V.,  Lexington,  Va   1  25 

Leetown  Chapter,  U.  D.  C,  Kearneysville,  W.  Va. ...  1  00 

Lester,  Capt.  J.  H.,  Deming,  N.  Mex   4  00 

Lenoir,  W.  T.,  Sweetwater,  Tenn   5  00 

Lenow,  John  H.,  Memphis,  Tenn   1  00 

Lewis,  R.  B.,  Longtown,  S.  C. .'   1  00 

Lipscomb,  H.  G.,  Nashville,  Tenn   5  00 

Lipsey,  R.  C,  Lexington,  Miss   1  00 

Livingston,  Mrs.  M.,  Lockney,  Tex   1  00 

Lockwood,  George  R.,  St.  Louis,  Mo   2  00 

Love,  Mrs.  C.  A.,  Barboursville,  W.  Va   1  00 

Lowrance,  N.  L.,  Iowa  Park,  Tex   1  00 

Lucey,  Rt.  Rev.  Mgr.  J.  M.,  Pine  Bluff,  Ark   10  00 

Macbeth,  Mrs.  R.  Y.,  Pinopolis,  S.  C   1  00 

Magnus,  J.  A.,  and  wife,  Cincinnati,  Ohio   10  00 

Malone,  W.  M.,  Durant,  Miss   1  00 

Manget,  V.  E.,  Dunedin,  Fla   1  00 

Marshall,  J.  L.,  Perdue  Hill,  Ala   1  00 

Martin,  Judge  J.  H.,  Hawkinsville,  Ga   1  00 

Martin,  Rev.  P.  T.,  Franklin,  Tenn   1  00 

Mathis,  A.  J.,  Vernon,  Tex   50 

Maury,  Dabney  H.,  Chapter,  U.  D.  C,  Wilmington, 

Del   5  00 

McCarys,  R.  P.,  Olive  Branch,  Miss   1  00 

McCaskey,  T.  B.,  Bucatunna,  Miss   50 

McEwen  Bivouac,  U.  C.  V.,  Franklin,  Tenn   4  00 

McLellan,  Alden,  New  Orleans,  La   3  00 

McPherson,  Miss  Eliza,  Tupelo,  Miss   1  00 

[  26  ] 


McShan,  J.  T.,  McShan,  Ala  $  i  oo 

Means,  James,  Columbus,  Ohio   I  oo 

Miller,  W.  A.,  O'Brien,  Fla   2  oo 

Miller,  W.  J.,  Burlington,  la   6  50 

Milner,  W.  J.,  Birmingham,  Ala   1  00 

Minnich,  J.  W.,  Grand  Isle,  La   1  00 

Mizell,  J.,  King's  Ferry,  Fla   10  00 

Moon,  W.  H.,  Goodwater,  Ala   r  00 

Moore,  A.  J.,  Newbern,  Ala   1  00 

Moore,  Miss  E.  I.,  Buda,  Tex   1  00 

Moore,  Henry,  Texarkana,  Ark   2  50 

Moore,  W.  S.,  Cane  Hill,  Ark   1  00 

Morrisett,  F.  T.,  Newbern,  Ala   1  00 

Morrison,  M.  L.,  Kingston,  Tenn   1  00 

Morton,  M.  B.,  Nashville,  Tenn   1  00 

Morton,  O.  S.,  Richmond,  Va   1  00 

Mumford,  C.  B.,  Kansas  City,  Mo   3  00 

Myers,  J.  M.,  Fishersville,  Ky   1  00 

Myers,  Thomas  J.,  Gastonia,  N,  C   1  00 

Navarro  Chapter,  U.  D.  C,  Corsicana,  Tex   1  00 

Newnan  Chapter,  U.  D.  C,  Newnan,  Ga   1  00 

Newton,  H.  H.,  Bennettsville,  S.  C   1  00 

Nolen,  C.  L.,  Huntsville,  Ala   1  00 

Norwood,  J.  P.,  Lockesburg,  Ark   1  00 

Noyes,  J.  William,  New  Orleans,  La   6  00 

Nutt,  Mrs.  L.  A.,  Alva,  Fla   2  00 

Nutt,  Miss  Nannie,  Alva,  Fla   1  00 

Oklahoma  City  Chapter,  U.  D.  C,  Oklahoma  City, 

Okla   1  00 

Oltrogge,  Mrs.  E.  T.,  Jacksonville,  Fla   1  00 

Ormond,  J.  F.,  Sumterville,  Ala   1  00 

Osborne,  Hampden,  Columbus,  Miss   1  00 

Paddison,  J.  R.,  Mt.  Airy,  N.  C   1  00 

Palmer,  N.  G.,  Ridgeway,  S.  C   1  00 

Parker,  Arthur,  Abbeville,  S.  C   1  00 

Parker,  P.  P.,  Washington,  N.  C   1  00 

Parker,  S.  H.,  Philadelphia,  Miss   1  00 

Parsons,  M.  M.,  Camp,  U.  C,  V.,  Warrensburg,  Mo.  5  00 

Paulett,  S.  W.,  Farmville,  Va   1  00 

[  27  ] 


Peachy-Gilmer-Breckinridge  Camp,  U.  C.  V.,  Fin- 
castle,  Va  $  i  oo 

Peak,  W.  D.,  Oliver  Springs,  Tenn   I  00 

Pearce,  Judge  James  A.,  Chestertown,  Md   5  oo 

Peck,  W.  M.,  Sherman,  Tex   1  00 

Pepper,  S.  A.,  Memphis,  Tenn   1  00 

Phillips,  Capt.  Joseph,  Nashville,  Tenn   5  00 

Pickett,  George  E.,  Chapter,  U.  D.  C,  Kansas  City, 

Mo   10  00 

Pickin,  C.  L.,  Washington,  D.  C   50 

Pirtle,  Capt.  J.  B.,  Louisville,  Ky   5  00 

Pleasants,  Edward,  Richmond,  Va   I  00 

Polk,  Dr.  W.  M.,  New  York  City   10  00 

Porter,  J.  B.,  Harmony,  Ark   1  00 

Powell,  Rev.  L.,  Owensboro,  Ky   1  00 

Powers,  L.  A.,  Athens,  Tex   1  00 

Preston,  John  A.,  Ovalo,  Tex   1  00 

Price,  J.  M.,  Valley  Head,  Ala   1  00 

Provine,  R.  N.,  Cole's  Creek,  Miss   1  00 

Pryor,  W.  C,  La  Grange,  Ky   1  00 

Purcer,  Luke,  McMinnville,  Tenn   2  00 

Ray,  B.  F.,  Kosciusko,  Miss   1  00 

Reagan,  Mrs.  John  H.,  Palestine,  Tex   1  00 

Redd,  W.  A.,  Dover,  Mo   1  00 

Redwood,  W.  F.,  Brooksville,  Miss   1  00 

Rhodes,  Robert  J.,  Whiteville,  Tenn   1  00 

Rice,  James  T.,  Iva,  S.  C   2  00 

Riddle,  George  T.,  Pulaski,  Tenn   1  00 

Robb,  E.  C,  Savannah,  Ga   2  00 

Robb,  Mrs.  A.  W.,  Muskogee,  Okla   1  00 

Robinson,  Mrs.  B.  S.,  Danville,  Va   50 

Robertson,  Dr.  J.  J.,  Ridgeway,  S.  C   1  00 

Rogers,  B.  Hv  Plantersville,  Miss   1  00 

Rogers,  J.  J.,  Tupelo,  Miss   5  00 

Rosamond,  J.  S.,  Durant,  Miss   1  00 

Rosenburg,  Mrs.  Mollie  Macgill,  Galveston,  Tex....  15  00 

Ross,  Dr.  John  W.,  Pasadena,  Cal   5  00 

Rothrock,  G.  M.,  Pulaski,  Tenn   1  00 

Rudd.  J.  D.,  Waskom,  Tex   5  00 

[28] 


Rudisill,  S.  A.,  Arkadelphia,  Ark  $  t  oo 

Ruff,  D.  W.,  Ridgeway,  S.  C   i  oo 

Ruff,  W.  H.,  Ridgeway,  S.  C   i  oo 

Russell,  H.  A.,  Atlanta,  Ga   i  oo 

Rutherford,  Mrs.  E.  H.,  Versailles,  Ky   3  oo 

Rutledge,  J.  S.,  Vernon,  Tex   1  oa 

Sanders,  Hon.  Newell,  Chattanooga,  Tenn   20  00 

Sandusky,  Richard,  Shelbyville,  Tenn   2  00 

Saunders,  E.  W.,  Red  Bluff,  Cal   2  50 

Scott,  J.  A.,  Muskogee,  Okla   1  00 

Seagraves,  James,  Eaton  Rapids,  Mich   2  00 

Seagraves,  J.  F.,  Middletown,  Ohio   2  00 

Setton,  Emmett,  Pulaski,  Tenn   1  00 

Shaifer,  A.  K.,  Port  Gibson,  Miss   1  00 

Shannahan,  J.  K.,  Newcomb,  Md   2  00 

Sharkey,  Clay,  Jackson,  Miss   1  10 

Shaw,  John  H.,  Morton's  Gap,  Ky   50 

Shaw,  Mrs.  Susie,  Morton's  Gap,  Ky   50 

Shearer,  John,  McCrory,  Ark   1  00 

Shepherd,  William  S.,  Columbus,  Ga   5  00 

Shipp,  J.  F.,  Chattanooga,  Tenn   1  00 

Simpson,  John  W.,  Bronston,  Ky   1  00 

Sims,  T.  H.,  Texarkana,  Ark   1  00 

Sinclair,  G.  Terry,  New  York  City   1  00 

Slocum,  J.  W.,  Gray,  Ga   1  00 

Smith,  G.  W.,  Chicago,  111   1  00 

Smith,  Miss  Jessica  R.,  Henderson,  N.  C   2  00 

Smith,  J.  F.,  Marion,  Ark   1  00 

Smith,  J.  F.,  Morgan,  Tex   1  00 

Smith,  Judge  C.  J.,  Ridgeway,  S.  C   50 

Smith,  M.  V.,  Luling,  Tex   1  00 

Smith,  W.  A.,  Ansonville,  N.  C   2  00 

Smith,  W.  W.,  Garnett,  S.  C   1  00 

Spurlin,  W.  H.,  Camden,  Ala   1  00 

Starr,  J.  B.,  Fayetteville,  N.  C   1  00 

Stewart,  Col.  W.  H.,  Portsmouth,  Va   1  00 

Stone,  John  B.,  Kansas  City,  Mo   6  00 

Stone,  Mrs.  C.  B.,  Galveston,  Tex   2  oo 

Streigler,  O.,  Menardville,  Tex   1  00 

[  29  ] 


Stuckey,  D.  H.,  Martinsburg,  W.  Va  $  i  oo 

Sutherlin,  W.  K.,  Shreveport,  La   2  oo 

Sweetman,  M.  A.,  Circleville,  Ohio   2  00 

Swinburne,  A.  C,  Vernon,  Tex   1  00 

Sword,  Marion  L.,  Opelousas,  La   1  00 

Syms,  S.  Y.,  Peterstown,  W.  Va   1  00 

Tavenner,  L.  N.,  Parkersburg,  W.  Va   1  00 

Taylor,  Mrs.  John  M.,  Lexington,  Tenn   1  00 

Teague,  Dr.  B.  H.,  Aiken,  S.  C   1  00 

Team,  Dr.  J.  W.,  Ridgeway,  S.  C   1  00 

Thayer,  Albert,  Indianapolis,  Ind   2  00 

Thomas,  J.  A.,  Center  Point,  Ark   1  00 

Thomas,  Mrs.  Mary  Blount,  Washington,  D.  C   5  00 

Thompson,  A.  R.,  Collinsburg,  La   1  00 

Thompson,  R.  H.,  Culpeper,  Va   1  00 

Thompson,  W.  A.,  Gurley,  La   1  00 

Thornton,  Hon.  J.  R.,  Washington,  D.  C   10  00 

Tilghman,  Sidell,  Madison,  N.  J   10  00 

Townsend,  Mrs.  E.  H.,  Corsicana,  Tex   1  00 

Towson,  Gen.  J.  William,  Shelbina,  Mo   7  00 

Trice,  C.  W.,  Lexington,  N.  C   1  00 

Tyler,  Judge  C.  W.,  Clarksville,  Tenn   10  00 

Tyler,  Gen.  H.  A.,  Hickman,  Ky   100  00 

Vanmeter,  C.  J.,  Bowling  Green,  Ky   5  00 

Varnadoe,  J.  O.,  Valdosta,  Ga   1  00 

Vaughan,  John  C,  Chapter,  U.  D.  C,  Sweetwater, 

Tenn   5  00 

Wall,  Dr.  W.  D.,  Slaughter,  La   1  00 

Warden,  Capt.  Jacob,  Berryville,  Va   1  00 

Warden,  J.  M.,  Wardensville,  W.  Va   5  50 

Waring,  F.  M.,  Charleston,  S.  C   1  00 

Washington,  Hon.  J.  E.,  Wessyngton,  Tenn   5  00 

Waties,  Mrs.  M.  B.,  Tallahassee,  Fla   1  00 

Watson,  C  William,  Belvidere,  111   2  00 

Watson,  G.  W.,  Jefferson,  Tex   1  00 

Watson,  Richard  Vidmer,  Belvidere.  Ill   1  00 

Watts,  H.  D.,  Americus,  Ga   1  00 

Watts,  W.  P.,  Waverly  Hall,  Ga   1  00 

West,  Capt.  John  C,  Waco,  Tex   5  00 

[  30  ] 


Westbrook,  M.  L.,  Waco,  Tex  $  i  oo 

Weston,  F.  H.,  Columbia,  S.  C   i  oo 

Whetstone,  W.  D.,  Grandview,  Ala   i  oo 

Whitehead,  E.  M.,  Denton,  Tex   i  oo 

Whiteside,  Miss  Florence,  Cleveland,  Tenn   i  oo 

Whitsett,  J.  B.,  Nashville,  Tenn   i  oo 

Wilder,  E.  G.,  Socrum,  Fla   i  oo 

Williamson,  Mrs.  M.  R.,  Nashville,  Tenn   5  00 

Wilson,  C.  B.,  Taylor,  Tex   5  00 

Winnie  Davis  Chapter,  U.  D.  C,  Savannah,  Ga   2  00 

Witt,  R.  R.,  Lexington,  Va   1  00 

Womack,  Mrs.  C.  A.,  Chatham,  Va   1  00 

Womack,  J.  K.,  Eagleville,  Tenn   2  00 

Wray,  C.  P.,  Ridgeway,  S.  C   1  00 

Wrenne,  Thomas  W.,  Nashville,  Tenn   1  00 

Wynn,  B.  L.,  Charleston,  Miss   10  00 

Wyeth,  Dr.  John  A.,  New  York   5  00 

Yeakle,  A.  R.,  Washington,  D.  C   2  50 

Young,  B.  H.,  Louisville,  Ky   10  00 


Total   $1,127  00 


The  memorial  was  valued  at  $3,000,  but  only  the  actual 
working  expense,  amounting  to  some  $1,500,  was  charged. 

[  31  ] 


SAM  DAVIS. 


SAM  DAVIS. 


THE  STORY  OF  AN  OLD-FASHIONED  BOY. 


Sam  Davis  was  his  name.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  near  the 
little  town  of  Smyrna,  Terin.  His  parents  were  old-fashioned 
people,  God-fearing,  simple-mannered,  neither  rich  nor  poor ; 
and  Sam  grew  up  in  the  quiet  ways  of  the  Southern  country 
boy.  Just  as  he  had  passed  out  of  his  teens,  and  was  yet  a 
big  boy  in  face  and  spirit,  he  died  on  the  gallows  at  Pulaski, 
Tenn.,  in  the  presence  of  Gen.  Dodge's  Corps  of  Federals. 

Sam  spent  his  boyhood  days  in  the  fields  and  under  the  great 
trees  of  his  father's  farm,  companion  with  mocking  bird  and 
bee  and  butterfly,  and  with  the  patient  brutes  that  serve  the 
farmer's  need.  There  was  no  hint  of  the  hero  to  come  in  the 
peaceful,  humdrum  life  of  the  farm.  True,  the  war  clouds 
were  gathering  above  and  the  air  was  becoming  electric  with 
exciting  speech  and  prophecy;  and  in  every  village  was  spring- 
ing up  a  holiday  soldiery,  parading  in  glittering  uniform  to 
the  sound  of  fife  and  drum. 

Out  of  the  tenseness  of  these  stirring  years  that  ushered  in 
the  great  war  Sam's  strange  heroism  may  have  been  fashioned ; 
but  I  prefer  to  trace  it  back  to  the  old-fashioned  mother  and 
father  and  the  simple,  sincere  life  of  the  boy  of  the  Ruther- 
ford County  farm.  Somehow  the  old  fable  of  Antaeus's 
strength  coming  back  to  him  only  when  in  contact  with  mother 
earth  is  often  confirmed  in  the  strength  and  heroism  of  the 
men  who  have  come  to  greatness  from  the  life  of  the  farm. 

When  the  war  finally  came,  and  drum  and  fife  and  soldier 
in  a  twinkling  were  transformed  into  the  machinery  of  real 
battle,  Sam  put  aside  his  schoolbooks  at  Nashville,  and  bade 
good-by  to  the  two  teachers  who,  as  Generals  Bushrod  John- 
son and  Edmund  Kirby  Smith,  became  distinguished  soldiers 
of  the  Confederacy.  He  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  1st  Ten- 
nessee Infantry,  and  soon  found  place  of  drudgery  and  danger 
in  the  army  of  General  Bragg. 

The  life  of  the  private  soldier  anywhere  or  at  any  time  in 
real  warfare  is  not  a  pathway  of  roses.    Least  of  all,  as  the 

[  35  ] 


writer  of  his  own  experience  can  testify,  was  it  a  place  of 
comfort  in  the  armies  of  the  South.  The  flags  that  flashed 
forth  their  stars  and  bars  so  bravely  were  soon  blackened  by 
smoke  and  rent  by  bullet.  The  bright  uniforms  soon  bore  the 
marks  of  the  clay  hills  and  the  camp  fires  and  grew  tarnished 
and  torn.  Even  the  martial  music  changed  its  note  from  the 
sparkle  and  rush  of  the  "Bonnie  Blue  Flag"  and  the  "Girl  I 
Left  Behind  Me"  to  the  minor  tones  of  "The  Years  Creep 
Slowly  By,  Lorena." 

General  Bragg,  whatever  criticism  may  be  put  upon  his 
generalship,  was  an  insistent  fighter,  and  his  men  were  used 
to  being  in  the  thick  of  battle.  It  was  so  with  our  boy 
Sam.  The  peace  and  beauty  of  the  Smyrna  farm  gave  place 
to  the  wearisome  tramp,  the  pangs  of  hunger,  the  cries 
of  the  wounded,  and  the  pale  faces  of  the  dead.  Those 
who  knew  the  boy  speak  much  of  his  courage  and  faith- 
fulness. "His  record  was  such,"  writes  one,  "that  when  Bragg 
ordered  the  organization  of  a  company  of  scouts  by  Gen.  B.  F. 
Cheatham,  Sam  Davis  was  chosen  as  one  of  the  number  be- 
cause of  his  coolness  and  daring  and  power  of  endurance." 
Capt.  H.  B.  Shaw  was  given  command  of  these  scouts,  and  the 
field  of  their  earlier  endeavor  was 
Middle  Tennessee,  which  in  1863 
was  practically  in  the  hands  of  the 
Federals. 

Captain  Shaw  assumed  a  dis- 
guise within  the  Federal  lines, 
posing  as  an  itinerant  doctor  and 
bearing  the  name  of  "Dr.  E.  Cole- 
man" among  the  Federals  and  of 
"Capt.  E.  Coleman,  Commander 
of  Scouts,"  among  the  Confeder- 
ates, even  in  his  official  communi- 
cations to  General  Bragg,  this 
double  deception  being  deemed 
necessary  to  the  prosecution  of  his 
dangerous  duty  as  a  spy.    Scout  captain  shaw. 

or  spy,  whatever  the  term  applied, 

one  who  enters  the  lines  of  the  enemy  to  secretly  gather  infor* 


[36] 


mation  for  use  of  the  opposing  army  under  the  rules  of  warfare 
becomes  a  "spy,"  and  if  caught  is  executed  as  a  spy.  There 
is  no  mawkish  sentiment  in  war,  and  small  mercy  is  shown 
one  who  seeks  to  discover  the  secrets  of  the  enemy. 

But,  as  with  Major  Andre  of  the  Revolution  and  with  many 
others,  the  occupation  of  scout  and  -spy  is  a  necessity  of  war- 
fare to  which  any  soldier  is  liable  and  upon  which  no  just 
odium  can  be  cast.  No  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  from  Wash- 
ington down,  condemned  the  gallant  young  officer  who,  under 
military  law,  died  bravely  as  a  spy.  On  the  contrary,  one  who, 
under  the  hard  usage  of  the  camp,  is  commissioned  as  a  mili- 
tary spy  is  usually  chosen  because  of  superior  intelligence, 
courage,  and  devotion  to  his  army  and  colors.  His  vocation 
is  full  of  deadly  peril  by  day  and  by  night.  If  caught,  he 
usually  dies  by  the  most  ignominious  death  under  conditions 
that  inspire  contempt  in  the  spectators,  to  the  end  that  swift 
judgment  and  odious  death  may  deter  men  from  seeking  the 
office  of  the  spy.  Over  his  supreme  self-sacrifice  the  epitaph 
is  commonly  written,  "Died  on  the  gallows  as  a  spy,"  without 
those  added  words  which  justice  demands:  "Under  military 
appointment  and  for  his  country's  cause." 

It  fell  to  the  lot  of  my  Tennessee  hero  to  be  assigned  to 
"Captain  Coleman's  Scouts"  and  given  a  place  of  peculiar  dif- 
ficulty and  danger,  soon  to  terminate  in  death.  The  appointing 
officer  said  it  was  the  "boy's  record"  that  gave  prominence  and 
promotion  to  one  so  young.  He  had  learned  as  a  country  boy 
two  hard  lessons  that  few  men  learn  in  a  lifetime:  to  fear 
nothing  and  nobody  but  God,  and  to  obey  orders.  He  had  a 
peculiarly  bright  and  winning  way  about  him,  an  utterly  fear- 
less eye,  a  frank  and  gentle  speech,  and  the  self-poise  of  a 
great  soul.  Next  to  his  God,  above  even  his  tender  love  for 
his  mother  and  home,  Sam  cherished  that  old-time  sense  of 
"honor"  so  sacred  among  the  traditions  of  the  old  South,  when 
one's  "word  of  honor"  meant  more  than  wealth  or  fame  or 
life  itself.  Do  not  confuse  this  honor  with  that  other  folly  of 
Southern  hotspurs — the  dishonor  of  the  code  duello,  long  ago 
in  disgrace  among  the  sons  of  those  who  condoned  its  bru- 
tality, the  one  thing  in  its  defense  being  that  by  sight  and 
sound  of  pistol  it  compelled  a  certain  class  of  men  to  be  more 


[  37  } 


circumspect  in  what  they  said  and  did.  The  honor  which  gives 
my  hero  place  among  the  immortals  was  of  the  kind  that 
sought  not  the  life  of  another  in  revenge,  but  gave  one's  life 
in  devotion  to  duty. 

In  November,  1863,  the  16th  Army  Corps,  under  Gen.  G. 
M.  Dodge,  was  centered  at  Pulaski,  Tenn.,  not  far  from  the 
Tennessee  River  and  the  Alabama  line.  General  Dodge 
had  started  from 
Corinth,  Miss.,  to 
Chattanooga,  Tenn., 
to  reenforce  General 
Grant.  On  all  roads 
his  cavalry  kept 
sharp  lookout,  espe- 
cially to  break  to 
pieces  the  Coleman 
band  of  scouts,  who 
were  here  and  there, 
watching  every 
movement  of  the 
Federals,  and  by 
persistent  and  accu- 
rate reports  to  Gen- 
eral Bragg  were 
making  havoc  of 
General  Dodge's 
peace  and  plans — 
so  much  so  that  the 
General  put  on  its 
mettle  the  famous 
Kansas  7th  Cavalry, 
nicknamed  the  "Jay- 
hawkers,"  to  run  to  earth  and  capture  Coleman  and  his  scouts. 
So  active  and  alert  was  the  entire  corps  that  capture  was  at 
most  a  matter  of  a  few  days  only. 

Captain  Shaw,  alias  Coleman,  summoned  Davis  and  com- 
mitted to  his  care  certain  papers,  letters,  reports,  and  maps 
giving  late  and  important  news  to  General  Bragg.  In  his 
shoes  and  in  the  saddle  seat  were  hidden  the  dangerous  docu- 


SAM  S  MOTHER. 


[  38  ] 


ments ;  and  Sam,  with  Coleman's  pass,  started  southward  to 
Decatur,  thence  to  take  the  "scout  line"  to  the  headquarters 
of  General  Bragg.  His  last  route  began  and  ended  Thursday, 
November  19.  Run  down  and  arrested  at  the  Tennessee 
River  by  the  "Jayhawkers,"  along  with  other  prisoners  he 
was  hurried  to  Pulaski,  and  by  night  was  in  jail.  Elsewhere, 
on  the  same  day,  Captain  Shaw  himself  was  captured  and  im- 
prisoned also  in  the  town.  Davis's  papers  and  reports  were 
placed  in  the  hands  of  General  Dodge,  who  twice  had  him 
brought  to  his  headquarters,  urging  him  in  strong  but  kindly 
way  to  disclose  the  name  of  the  one  who  had  committed  to 
him  the  captured  papers. 

It  is  worth  while  to  know  who  General  Dodge  was,  and  what 
he  thought  of  the  young  fellow  whose  life  was  now  in  the 
General's  hands.  Dodge  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  and  is 
yet  living  in  Iowa,  to  which  State  at  twenty  he  removed. 
At  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War  he  was  made  colonel  of 
the  4th  Iowa  Infantry,  and  later  brigadier  general.  He  was 
a  close  and  trusted  friend  of  General  Grant,  and  was  chosen 
grand  marshal  of  the  Grant  monument  parade  in  New  York 


GROUP  OF  VETERANS  WHERE  SAM  DAVIS  WAS  EXECUTED. 

[  39  ] 


City  in  1897.  Ror  many  years  after  the  war  he  was  a  resi- 
dent of  New  York  as  capitalist  of  large  affairs  and  citizen 
of  distinguished  ability. 

As  -shown  throughout  the  Davis  tragedy,  General  Dodge  was 
proven  to  have  been  a  man  of  kindly  spirit.  Something  about 
the  Tennessee  boy  evidently  touched  the  General's  heart.  Only 
recently  he  wrote  at  length  to  the  Confederate  Veteran,  pay- 
ing long-cherished  tribute  to  Davis's  memory.  He  says  of 
him  that  "he  was  a  fine,  soldierly-looking  young  man,  dressed 
in  a  faded  Federal  coat,  an  army  soft  hat,  and  top-boots ;  he 
had  a  fresh,  open  face,  which  was  inclined  to  brightness ;  in 
all  things  he  showed  himself  a  true  soldier;  it  was  known  by 
all  the  command  that  I  desired  to  save  him.  I  appreciate  fully 
that  the  people  of  the  South  and  Davis's  comrades  understand 
his  soldierly  qualities,  and  propose  to  honor  his  memory.  I 
take  pleasure  in  contributing  to  a  monument  to  his  memory." 
And  with  it  came  the  General's  personal  check.  Of  Davis's 
arrest  and  trial  he 
further  writes :  "I 
was  very  anxious  to 
capture  Coleman  and 
break  up  his  com- 
mand." (General 
Dodge  did  not  know, 
nor  did  any  Confed- 
erate prisoner  in  the 
Pulaski  jail  give  the 
slightest  hint,  that 
the  "H.  B.  Shaw" 
captured  the  same  day 
as  Davis,  and  proba- 
bly prisoner  in  the 
same  building  with 
him,  was  the  verita- 
ble "Coleman"  him- 
self.) "I  had  Davis 
brought  before  me. 
His  captors  knew  that 
he  was  a  member  of  Coleman's  Scouts,  and  I  knew  what  was 

140} 


SAM  S  FATHER. 


found  upon  him,  and  desired  to  locate  Coleman  and  ascertain, 
if  possible,  who  was  furnishing  information  so  accurate  and 
valuable  to  General  Bragg.  Davis  met  me  modestly.  I  tried 
to  impress  on  him  the  danger  he  was  in,  and  as  only  a  mes- 
senger I  held  out  to  him  the  hope  of  lenient  treatment  if  he 


MEMORIAL   SERVICE   AT   THE   DAVIS  HOME. 


would  answer  truthfully  my  questions.  I  informed  him  that 
he  would  be  tried  as  a  spy  and  the  evidence  would  surely  con- 
vict him,  and  I  made  a  direct  appeal  to  him  to  give  me  the  in- 
formation I  knew  he  had.  He  very  quietly  but  firmly  refused 
to  do  it.  I  pleaded  with  him  with  all  the  power  I  possessed 
to  give  me  some  chance  to  -save  his  life.  I  discovered  that 
he  was  a  most  admirable  young  fellow,  with  the  highest 
character  and  strictest  integrity.  He  replied:  'I  know,  Gen- 
eral, that  I  will  have  to  die ;  but  I  will  not  tell  where  I  got 
the  information,  and  there  is  no  power  on  earth  that  can  make 
me  tell.  You  are  doing  your  duty  as  a  soldier,  and  if  I  have 
to  die  I  shall  be  doing  my  duty  to  God  and  my  country.'  " 
There  was  nothing  more  that  General  Dodge  could  do.  A 


[41] 


military  commission  was  convened  within  three  days,  which 
tried  Davis  and  sentenced  him  as  a  spy  to  death  on  the  gal- 
lows Friday,  November  27,  between  the  hours  of  10  a.m.  and 
2  p.m. — one  week  from  the  day  of  his  capture.  You  may  be 
sure  it  was  a  long  and  lonely  week  to  the  brave  boy,  especially 
those  last  three  days  that  intervened  between  his  sentence 
and  the  day  of  doom.  Somehow,  though  not  -strangely,  there 
sprang  up  in  all  hearts  an  ever-increasing  interest  in  one  who 
by  a  single  word  could  open  the  door  of  his  prison,  yet  chose 
to  die  in  place  of  another  "for  duty's  sake."  With  "Coleman" 
probably  in  touch  of  his  hand  and  sound  of  his  voice,  he  gave 
no  sign  or  hint  of  his  identity.  "He  is  worth  more  to  the 
Confederacy  than  me,"  he  said.  I  doubt  it.  The  more  I  think 
of  it  after  so  many  years  have. passed,  the  greater  is  the  won- 
der that  Shaw,  alias  Cole- 
man, did  not  unmask  and 
save  the  life  of  one  who 
was  sacrificing  life  for  him. 
Hard  by  the  light  that  will 
ever  shine  upon  Sam's  pale 
face  is  this  shadow  that  lies 
heavy  on  the  face  of  his 
Captain. 

Again  and  again  Federal 
soldiers  sought  Sam  in  his 
cell,  pleading  with  him  to 
disclose  the  informer's  name 
and  save  his  own  life. 
Chaplain  James  Young,  of 
the  81st  Ohio  Infantry,  was 
his  constant  visitor  and 
comforter,  to  whom  the  last 
messages  and  tokens  were 
committed  for  delivery  to 
his    home.     On    the    last  sam's  grandmother. 

morning,  "for  remembrance' 

sake,"  Sam  gave  him  the  Federal  overcoat  that  his  mother 
had  dyed,  which  Mr.  Young  lovingly  kept  until,  in  his 
seventy-third  year,  not  long  before  his  death,  he  sent  it  to  the 


[  42  ] 


Confederate  Veteran,  saying:  "My  promised  remembrance 
is  fulfilled.  I  am  seventy-three  years  old,  and  could  not 
reasonably  expect  to  care  for  it  much  longer.  I  have  cut  off 
a  small  button  from  the  cape,  which  I  will  keep.  The  night 
before  he  died  we  sang  together  'On  Jordan's  stormy  banks 
I  stand,'  and,  as  he  desired,  I  was  with  him  constantly,  and  at 
the  end  I  prayed  with  and  for  him."  Dear  old  Chaplain !  He 
and  Sam  are  together  now  under  brighter  skies  with  the  Mas- 
ter whom  they  served. 

Provost  Marshal  Armstrong,  who  had  charge  of  prison  and 
gallows,  became  Sam's  ardent  friend,  and,  rough  soldier  though 
he  was,  could  scarcely  perform  his  painful  duty.  Captain 
Chickasaw,  Chief  of  Dodge's  Scouts,  also  took  a  strong  liking 
to  the  boy,  and  made  a  last  effort  to  save  him. 

1  have  at  my  side  a  copy  of  a  faded  little  war  paper  issued 
from  the  camp  of  Dodge's  Corps,  and  it  gives  the  Federal 
account  of  Davis's  last  hours  on  earth.  "Last  Friday,"  it 
reads,  "the  citizens  and  soldiery  of  Pulaski  witnessed  one  of 
those  painful  executions  of  stern  justice  which  make  war  so 
terrible;  and  though  sanctioned  by  its  usages,  it  is  no  more 
than  brave  men  in  their  country's  service  expose  themselves 
to  every  day."  Then  it  goes  on  with  its  generous  tribute  to 
the  young  hero  whom  the  bravest  soldier  might  look  upon 
with  pride  even  upon  the  gallows. 

I  do  not  like  to  draw  the  last  living  picture  of  my  boy. 
But  Friday  morning  came  all  too  swiftly,  and  at  ten  o'clock 
sharp  the  drums  were  beating,  the  execution  guard  under 
Marshal  Armstrong  was  marching  to  the  jail,  while  the  sol- 
diers of  the  16th  Corps  by  the  thousands,  with  muskets  in 
hand,  were  being  marshaled  in  line  about  Seminary  Ridge, 
where  the  gallows  was  upreared  in  waiting.  A  wagon,  with  a 
rough  pine  coffin,  on  which  Sam  Davis  sat,  headed  the  march. 
In  sight  of  his  fellow-prisoners  Sam  waved  his  good-by  with 
a  smiling  face,  and  at  the  gallows  dismounted  and  sat  under 
a  tree,  unfalteringly  looking  above  at  the  swinging  noose  and 
around  at  the  sympathetic  faces  of  the  soldiers. 

"How  long  have  I  to  live,  Captain  Armstrong?"  he  inquired. 

"About  fifteen  minutes,  Sam." 

"What  is  the  news  from  the  front?"    And  Armstrong  told 


[  43  ] 


him  of  General  Bragg's  battle  and  defeat.  "Thank  you,  Cap- 
tain;  but  I'm  sorry  to  hear  it."  And  then,  with  one  last 
quaver  in  his  voice  of  loving  remembrance  of  his  comrades  in 
gray :  "The  boys  will  have  to  fight  their  battles  without  me." 

Captain  Armstrong  broke  down.  "Sam,  I  would  rather  die 
myself  than  execute  sentence  upon  you." 

"Never  mind,  Captain,"  was  the  gentle  reply.  "You  are 
doing  your  duty.    Thank  you  for  all  your  kindness." 

It  was  then  that  Captain  Chickasaw  came  swiftly  on  horse, 
and,  leaping  to  the  ground,  sat  himself  by  Sam  and  pleaded 
in  that  last  fierce  moment  of  youth  for  the  word  of  informa- 
tion that  would  send  him  to  his  home  in  freedom. 

Sam  arose  to  his  feet  and,  with  flashing  eye  and  uplifted 
face,  made  his  last  answer:  "No,  I  cannot.  I  would  rather 
die  a  thousand  deaths  than  betray  a  friend  or  be  false  to 
duty." 

A  Federal  officer,  who  was  looking  into  Sam's  face,  wrote 
of  him  long  after  in  the  Omaha  Bee :  "The  boy  looked  about 
him.  Life  was  young  and  promising.  Overhead  hung  the 
noose;  around  him  were  soldiers  in  line;  at  his  feet  was  a 
box  prepared  for  his  body,  now  pulsing  with  young  and 
vigorous  life ;  in  front  were  the  steps  that  would  lead  him  to 
disgraceful  death,  and  that  death  it  was  in  his  power  to  so 
easily  avoid.  For  just  an  instant  he  hesitated,  and  then  put 
aside  forever  the  tempting  offer.  Thus  ended  a  tragedy 
wherein  a  smooth-faced  boy,  without  counsel,  in  the  midst 
of  enemies,  with  courage  of  highest  type,  deliberately  chose 
death  to  life  secured  by  means  he  thought  dishonorable !" 

The  steps  to  the  gallows  were  firmly  mounted,  and  Sam's 
last  words,  "I  am  ready,  Captain,"  followed  the  Chaplain's 
prayer — when  in  a  moment  he  had  passed  through  the  gates  of 
death  to  take  his  place  forever  among  the  heroes  of  the 
Southland. 

In  his  memory  a  costly  and  beautiful  monument,  surmounted 
by  a  bronze  figure  of  the  boy,  is  being  erected  in  Capitol 
Park,  in  the  heart  of  Nashville.  From  every  State  in  the 
Union,  from  Blue  and  Gray,  from  rich  and  poor,  the  money 
to  build  the  monument  was  contributed  upon  the  plea  of  Editor 
S.  A.  Cunningham,  of  the  Confederate  Veteran,  whose  con- 

[44] 


ception  it  was ;  and  many  thousands  will  bow  their  heads  on 
dedication  day  in  loving  memory  of  the  hero  of  Tennessee. 
Sometime,  when  you  are  passing  through  Nashville,  take  a 
moment  to  look  upon  the  noble  bronze  face,  and  then  visit 
the  old  Smyrna  home  and  in  the  garden  see  the  grave  of 
Sam  as  he  sleeps  by  the  side  of  his  mother  and  father.  And 
if  you  care  to  copy  them  into  your  scrapbook,  take  these  words 
of  Ella  Wheeler  Wilcox  from  the  bronze  tablet  on  the  monu- 
ment : 


SAM  DAVIS  | 

~    WHEN  THE  LORD  CALLS  UP  EARTH'S  HEROES,  5 
TO  STAND  BEFORE  HIS  FACE, 
0,  MANY  A  NAME,  UNKNOWN  TO  FAME 

~       SHALL  RING  FROM  THAT  HIGH  PLACE;  5 

~   THEN  OUT  OF  A  GRAVE  IN  THE  SOUTHLAND  * 

-  AT  THE  JUST  GOD'S  CALL  AND  BECK,  £ 

-  SHALL  ONE  MAN  RISE  WITH  FEARLESS  EYES  2 

WITH  A  ROPE  ABOUT  HIS  NECK;  2 
I''     0  SOUTHLAND!  BRING  YOUR  LAURELS,  £ 
AND  ADD  YOUR  WREATH,  0  NORTH! 
LET  GLORY  CLAIM  THE  HERO'S  NAME  *2 
AMD  TELL  THE  WORLD  HIS  WORTH. 

ELLA  WHEELER  WILCOX  ff 


[  45  ] 


[The  Nashville  American  copies  an  article  from  the  Pulaski 
Chanticleer  of  December  2,  1863.  It  was  a  paper  edited  by 
C.  W.  Hildreth  and  devoted  to  the  interests  of  the  left  wing 
of  the  16th  Army  Corps.] 

Last  Friday  the  citizens  and  soldiers  of  Pulaski  witnessed 
one  of  those  painful  executions  of  stern  justice  which  make 
war  so  horrible ;  and  though  sanctioned  by  the  usages  of  war, 
it  is  no  more  than  men  in  the  service  of  their  country  expose 
themselves  to  every  day.  Samuel  Davis,  of  Coleman's  Scouts, 
having  been  found  within  the  Federal  lines  with  dispatches 
and  mails  destined  for  the  enemy,  was  tried  on  the  charge  of 
being  a  spy,  and,  being  found  guilty,  was  condemned  to  be 
hanged  between  the  hours  of  10  a.m.  and  6  p.m.  on  Friday, 
November  27,  1863.  The  prisoner  was  apprised  of  his  sentence 
by  Captain  Armstrong,  local  provost  marshal ;  and  though 
somewhat  surprised  at  the  sentence  of  death,  he  did  not  mani- 
fect  any  outward  signs  of  agitation. 

Chaplain  Young,  of  the  81st  Ohio  Infantry,  visited  the 
prisoner  and  administered  spiritual  consolation.  The  prisoner 
expressed  himself  resigned  to  his  fate  and  perfectly  prepared 
to  die.  He  exhibited  a  firmness  unusual  for  one  of  his  age, 
and  up  to  the  last  showed  a  lively  interest  in  the  news  of  the 
day,  expressing  regret  when  told  of  the  defeat  of  General 
Bragg. 

The  scaffold  for  the  execution  of  the  prisoner  was  built 
upon  the  ridge,  east  side  of  town,  near  the  seminary,  a  posi- 
tion which  could  be  seen  from  any  part  of  the  town. 

At  precisely  10  a.m.  the  prisoner  was  taken  from  his  cell, 
his  hands  tied  behind  him,  and,  accompanied  by  the  chaplain 
of  the  81st  Ohio  Volunteers,  was  placed  in  a  wagon,  seated 
upon  his  coffin,  and  conveyed  to  the  scaffold.  Provost  Marshal 
Armstrong  conducted  the  proceedings.  At  precisely  five  min- 
utes past  ten  o'clock  the  wagon  containing  the  prisoner  and 
the  guards  entered  the  hollow  square  formed  by  the  troops, 
in  the  center  of  which  was  the  scaffold.  The  prisoner  then 
stepped  from  the  wagon  and  seated  himself  upon  a  bench  at 
the  foot  of  the  scaffold.  He  displayed  great  firmness,  glancing 
casually  at  his  coffin  as  it  was  taken  from  the  wagon.  Turn- 
ing to  Captain  Armstrong,  he  inquired  how  long  he  had  to 

[  46  ] 


live,  and  was  told  that  he  had  just  fifteen  minutes.  He  then 
remarked:  "We  would  have  to  fight  the  rest  of  the  battles 
alone."  [This  awkward  expression  is  evidently  an  error.  A 
quotation  from  his  associates  is  as  follows :  "The  boys  will 
have  to  fight  the  rest  of  the  battles  without  me." — Editor.] 

Captain  Armstrong:  "I  am  sorry  to  be  compelled  to  per- 
form this  painful  duty." 

Prisoner  with  a  smile :  "It  does  not  hurt  me,  Captain.  I 
am  innocent,  though  I  am  prepared  to  die,  and  do  not  think 
hard  of  it !" 

Captain  Chickasaw  then  asked  the  prisoner  if  it  would  not 
have  been  better  for  him  to  have  accepted  the  offer  of  life 
upon  the  disclosure  of  the  facts  in  his  possession,  when  the 
prisoner  answered  with  much  indignation :  "Do  you  suppose 
I  would  betray  a  friend?  No,  sir;  I  would  rather  die  a  thou- 
sand times  first." 

He  was  then  questioned  upon  other  matters,  but  refused  to 
give  any  information  which  would  be  of  service. 

The  prisoner  then  mounted  the  scaffold,  accompanied  by 
the  chaplain,  James  Young,  whom  he  requested  to  pray  with 
him  at  his  execution.  The  prisoner  then  stepped  upon  the  trap, 
the  rope  was  adjusted  about  his  neck,  and  the  cap  drawn  over 
his  head.  In  a  moment  the  trap  was  sprung,  and  the  prisoner 
fell  suspended  in  the  air.  For  a  few  moments  he  struggled 
with  his  hands  and  feet ;  this  was  succeeded  by  a  slight  quiver- 
ing of  the  body,  which  ceased  at  three  and  one-half  minutes 
from  the  time  he  fell.  After  being  suspended  seventeen  and 
one-half  minutes,  the  officiating  surgeon,  D.  W.  Voyles,  of  the 
6th  Indiana  Infantry  Volunteers,  pronounced  the  prisoner 
dead,  and  he  was  cut  down  and  placed  in  his  coffin.  It  was 
supposed  from  the  protracted  animation  which  the  prisoner 
exhibited  that  the  fall  had  not  broken  his  neck  and  that  he 
died  by  strangulation,  but  upon  subsequent  examination  his 
neck  was  found  to  be  completely  broken. 

So  fell  one  whom  the  fate  of  war  cut  down  early  in  youth 
and  who  exhibited  traits  of  character  which  under  other  cir- 
cumstances might  have  made  him  a  remarkable  friend  and 
member  of  society. 


[  47  ] 


* 


